A Message from the President - November 2011

Each autumn at Purdue brings traditions both new and old to celebrate — opportunities not only to recognize our many successes, but also to reaffirm our promises.

In October, we celebrated the dedication of the Roger B. Gatewood Wing of Mechanical Engineering, as well as Bill and Sally Hanley Hall. These celebrations mark firsts for our campus. The Gatewood Wing is Purdue’s first LEED-certified building and Hanley Hall is the first dedicated facility at Purdue for programs and research related to the study of families, children and human development. Thank you to all who helped bring these outstanding new facilities to campus.

Distinguished Professor Rakesh Agrawal receives the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Obama.

On October 21, our own Rakesh Agrawal, the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, accepted the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama at the White House. This recognition honors Professor Agrawal’s extraordinary record of innovations and is the highest honor for technological achievement bestowed by the U.S. president.

Amid all of this excitement, Homecoming weekend arrived and we welcomed scores of alumni back to campus to celebrate and reconnect. The tents and booths on Stadium Mall showed off Purdue’s excellence on many fronts, and later Ross-Ade Stadium was aroar during a Big Ten victory over Illinois. This year’s festivities also marked the 125th anniversary of the Purdue Bands. More than 400 former marching band members returned to campus. Congratulations, and here’s to the next 125 years of music and Purdue spirit!

Lynette Flagge is a Change Maker

This month, our "5 Students Who ..." Web feature presents Purdue students who are "Change Makers." Like the many Boilermakers who came before, their creativity, motivation and hard work have inspired positive change in the world. This message of transformation is at the heart of everything that happens at Purdue, and I hope you will enjoy reading about their successes.

Just in time for Boilermaker basketball season, the Mackey Complex reopens this month with upgraded facilities for our student-athletes, coaches and athletics staff. A weekend-long celebration Nov. 10-13 marking the historic occasion will include men’s and women’s basketball games. I look forward to cheering on our teams in what is now a state-of-the-art facility.